Oops. I get back into it with Asos Curve and Swimming

Well shame on me. I let my emotions get the better of me and have neglected this site for over a month. I’m sorry. Never let it be said that I can’t highlight the negative in a sea of positivity. Anyway, no matter what size I am, I still need to wear clothes.

Ever since Asos opened I’ve been a fan, and when their range expanded, quite literally, into including a plus size line, I was pretty happy to say the least. Recently though, I’ve been feeling less and less enamoured with their offerings and it seems I’m not the only one.

It’s got to be said that a lot of the tunic dresses on offer in the Curve section scream “LIVERPOOL” to me in a very loud, very deliberate way. It’s kind of hard for me to explain here, but there are certain women, native to Liverpool, who can pull off this kind of tunic coupled with insane heels and a beehive hair do. I am not one of them. I think it’s because there are only really two settings to your stereotypical Liverpool gal: Dressed up and Getting Ready To Get Dressed Up. There’s no such thing as casual wear. Either you’re dolled up, or you’re in your velour tracksuit/pyjamas with curlers in. I’m not criticising, that’s just the way a lot of Liverpool ladies operate. I guess that’s how the Curve section has been feeling lately, though not to that extent of course. If you take a look at the dresses, well over two thirds of them are super-dressy and a large proportion are shiny. They are night time dresses. You can practically smell the hairspray through the screen. It’s smells of a Saturday night in Liverpool. This might be a difficult comparison for some people to understand if they have limited knowledge of Liverpool, but I think it fits pretty well.

SWIMMING!

It’s not the first activity one thinks of when you think of plus size women. I was under no illusions about the issues I faced when finding a swimsuit, nor the poor people who had to look at me as I got into the pool. But more about that later, firstly, the swimwear.

My boobs are my major problem when it comes to swimwear. Supported and in clothing they are fine. Unsupported and in lycra… not so much. A lot of the swimwear I found in plus sizes was for lounging around on the beach in, not for actually swimming in, which wasn’t helpful. The only place I could find anything that was vaguely usable was SimplyBe I’ll be honest with you, it’s not my favourite site, but it’s the only place that offered me sufficient coverage and support. Two things I need. Lots.

This is what I went with:

With this underneath for a bit of extra support:

And this for some coverage:

I’ll be honest, going swimming for the first time in nine or ten years was not easy. Aside from the fact that I’m not the best of swimmers, I have put on a lot of weight since I last went swimming. My defence mechanism is to imagine the worst things that people could possibly think about me, so if anyone says anything negative I can always have a barbed comment in response. Well, my mind was in overdrive the first time I went swimming. My wonderful friend Lucy came with me and that helped a lot. She’s been a great support to me.

Anyway, despite the fact I’m not very good, I absolutely love it. I’m desperate to tone my arms, and I can feel it helping already. It’s just ironic that the sport I most enjoy makes me feel the least comfortable in myself.

p.s. The site needs a bit of a revamp. Hmm. Anyone good with that kind of thing?

5 Comments

I have noticed that ASOS has been posting a LOT of “dressy” pieces that aren’t really conducive with everyday wear or for someone that doesn’t like that kind of thing. I wish they’d include more casual pieces but overall I still <3 ASOS Curve

Yeah, I do love it. It’s life-changing (I’m not exaggerating there) to be able to go to a website that updates a few times a week and know I can actually wear the clothes. Sadly they’ve dropped the ball a bit recently, but I’m looking forward to getting the party season out of the way so they can show me what they’ve got in terms of winter wear.

Oh my God, the “too Liverpool” things is killing me! So hilarious. I have only been around Liverpool during the day but I can only imagine it during nighttime.

But it’s totally a valid criticism of Asos Curve right now. Their new trousers are quite nice, but I need more everyday tops and knitwear. Also, is it just me getting fatter or are the sizes being all weird and shrinking in strange places?

I didn’t say all women in Liverpool were like that. I’ve spent the majority of my life there, so I think that entitles me to an opinion on a certain type of woman. Plus in no way was it derogatory. Many ladies in Liverpool love to dress up for every occasion. I didn’t say there was anything wrong with that. I was simply saying that a lot of the tunics and fancy beadedness of the Asos Curve dresses reminded me of that type of Liverpool gal. No doubt they exist elsewhere too. No offence intended, I can promise you that. I’m sorry if it upset you.

Elizabeth: I haven’t actually bought anything off Curve for a while because there just simply hasn’t been anything I’ve fancied. Though I do fancy those woollen trousers with the braces. Very cool.